The Great Race

A dastardly villain, a noble hero, and a spirited suffragette are among the competitors in an uproarious New York to Paris auto race circa 1908, complete with pie fights, saloon brawls, and a feisty polar bear.

Opinion

From Library Staff

Warner Brothers, 1965. 160 minutes. (DVD) Rated G. At the turn of the 20th century a host of colorful characters set out on a 20,000-mile auto race from New York to Paris, and hilarity ensues. Starring Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood.

From the critics

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Overlong but amusing romp starring Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood, and Jack Lemmon as turn of the 20th century competitors in a wild New York to Paris automobile race. Look for Peter "Columbo" Falk and Keenan Wynn in funny supporting roles as loyal if exasperated sidekicks, and Arthur O'Connell and Vivian "Ethel Mertz" Vance as a harried newspaper publisher and his suffragette wife. Ross Martin is a debonair, Basil Rathbone-ish villain and Dorothy Provine, (Lemmon's "Good Neighbor Sam" co-star), is the sexy saloon gal who sings the hilarious "He Shouldn'tna, Hadn'tna, Oughtna Swang on Me."
Wood is fetching and spirited and Curtis is fine as Handsome Hero, but the standout here is the versatile Jack Lemmon in dual roles as the perennially outraged Professor Fate and the perennially tipsy Crown Prince Fredrick. Blake Edwards ("Breakfast at Tiffany's," The Pink Panther," "10," etc.) directs with a rather loose hand.

Be warned that the film is about 45 minutes too long. Scenes are generally dragged out too long. Between the first hour and the final 30 minutes is quite a bit of fluff. My child was disappointed by how little actual racing occurs in the film. On the other hand, the "romance" of the film is pretty well done and provided some pretty nice discussion points about changing attitudes about the roles of women in society.

I have said it before and I will say it again, "they don't make movies like this anymore". The leads here though are not comics. We have Tony Curtis and Natalie Wood staring in a race from New York to Paris. Car races like this were once a national pastime. It is a wonderful recreation of just such a race and the troubles that befall such a group of racers. A Five Star Family Film!

This reminds me of the movie “Around the World in 80 Days” because they are in a race around the world. Tony Curtis is the charming hero in white suits and a sparkling smile and Natalie Wood is the feminist love interest. This is fun for the whole family.